Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) has issued Sidings Lease Requests for Proposals (RFPs), covering nine rail siding facilities located across the Eastern and Central Regions. This marks another milestone in its open market programme aimed at unlocking value from South Africa’s rail infrastructure and expanding access to strategic siding facilities.

This follows the issuance of the previous batch of sidings lease RFPs, which included three siding facilities in the Eastern and Central Regions. It aligns with the National Rail Policy (2022) and the Freight Logistics Roadmap (2023), reinforcing TRIM’s mandate to commercialise rail assets in a responsible, transparent, and sustainable manner, while upholding the highest standards of safety, compliance, and network integrity.

Proposals are expected to include comprehensive infrastructure upgrades to enhance operational efficiency and enable seamless road-to-rail integration. These may include:

• Rail-line refurbishment
• Loading and handling facilities
• Drainage systems
• Lighting and security enhancements
• Fencing and access roads.

Successful bidders will be awarded leases for a minimum period of 10 years, with clear performance and investment commitments tied to the lease term.
Operators will be required to demonstrate measurable improvements in turnaround times and overall logistics efficiency. The commercial framework is based on market-related rental structures, designed to ensure fair value while preserving the long-term sustainability of the assets.

Bidders will engage through a transparent, market-based process to access TRIM’s rail sidings under a regulated framework. This multi-stage process includes prequalification, functional evaluation, and final price/preference assessment. Safety, health, and regulatory compliance is a non-negotiable requirement.

TRIM Chief Executive Moshe Motlohi said:

“This batch underscores TRIM’s ongoing commitment to transparent, market-based access to critical rail assets. By enabling private sector participation in siding operations, we are advancing a more efficient, competitive, and integrated freight logistics system for South Africa.”

A non-compulsory Virtual Tender Briefing will be held on 17 April 2026 at 10;00 (via Microsoft Teams), and the bid submission deadline is 28 May 2026. The virtual briefing session will provide prospective bidders with detailed insights into the batch 4 facilities and the evaluation framework.

Interested parties can access the full RFP documents and submission details via the official Transnet procurement platforms, including the National Treasury e-Tender portal: https://www.etenders.gov.za/